The present invention relates to a MDPS (Motor Driven Power Steering) system and a method for determining a neutral position thereof, and more particularly, to a MDPS system which is capable of determining a neutral position of a steering wheel by combining vehicle speed information and torque information during driving, and a method for determining a neutral position thereof.
In general, the MDPS system refers to a system which includes a steering motor installed at the bottom of a steering wheel shaft so as to generate an assist steering force, and drives the steering motor to operate a power steering wheel when a vehicle is started, unlike a typical power steering system which operates a power steering wheel using oil circulated by operation of a power pump.
The MDPS system determines the neutral position of the steering wheel using steering angle information. If a breakdown occurs in a sensor to detect a steering angle, the MDPS may not accurately determine the neutral position of the steering wheel.
When the wheel alignment gets distorted, the vehicle may lean to any one side while traveling with the steering wheel in the neutral state. That is, although the steering wheel is in the neutral state, the vehicle may lean to any one side because the wheel alignment is distorted. Thus, a driver may not secure the driving stability, due to a reduction in control ability and a strange feeling caused by an excessive steering operation.
The related art of the present invention is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0053300 published on May 25, 2012 and entitled “MDPS control device and method”.